Leaf pulverizing device



Aug. 30, 1955 H. v. STURDIVANT ET AL 2,716,316

LEAF PULVERIZING DEVICE Filed Dec. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l f/e/en l/ Jfurd/ van 2 /1 /'//7o/ R. Ross INVENTORS Q/J M ATTORNEY 1955 H. v.STURDIVANT ET AL 2,716,316

LEAF PULVERIZING DEVICE,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 4, 1953 INVENTORJ ATTORNEY United StatesPatent LEAF PULVERIZING DEVICE Helen V. Sturdivant and Minor R. Ross,Houston, Tex.

Application December 4, 1953, Serial No. 396,232

1 Claim. (Cl. 55-118) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in a leaf disposal device.

It is an object of this invention to provide a leaf disposal device thatwill pick up leaves from the ground and pulverize them and thenredeposit them on the ground for fertilizer.

It is another object of the invention to provide a sanitary means fordisposing of fallen leaves that will eliminate the fire hazard presentwith the popular method of raking fallen leaves into a pile and burningsame, and that will greatly reduce the labor of leaf disposal as it ispresently accomplished.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention has relation tocertain novel features of construction and operation more particularlydescribed in the following specifications and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational View, partly in cross section, taken onthe line 1--1 of Figure 3.

Figure 2 is an end view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4- ofFigure 3, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the pulverizing grateemployed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1designates a framework on which suitable wheels, as 2, 2 are mounted,and which has a suitable housing, as 3, covering the framework, and asuitable means for imparting power, such as the engine 4, mounted on thehousing 3. A drive pulley 6 on the engine 4 drives the driven pulley 7on the framework 1 and the pulley 7 is secured to the shaft 8, whichrotates with the pulley 7, and a driving pulley 9 is also secured to theshaft 8 and rotates therewith. A belt, as 10, connects the drivingpulley 6 with the driven pulley 7, and a belt, or other driving means,11, connects the pulley 9 with the pulley 12, and the pulley 12 issecured and rotates the shaft 13.

A drum 14 is mounted on the axle 15 inside of the housing 3 and isconnected, preferably by welding, to the shaft 8, and is rotatedthereby. Longitudinally mounted on the drum 14 are a series of outwardlyextending brushes, 16, composed of wire, or the like. The axle 15 of thedrum 14 is preferably square to provide a firm connection with the drum.

Inside of the housing 4 and extending downwardly and rearwardly from apoint immediately to the rear of the brushes 16 is a table 17. Apulverizing drum 19 is mounted in the housing 3 adjacent the end of thetable 17. The drum 19 has outwardly extending brushes 2% composed ofwire, or the like, mounted in its periphery, and the table 17 is bentdownwardly adjacent the end of the brushes 28 of the drum 19, and curvedto conform to the contour of the drum 19, forming a guard 20. Mounted onthe opposite side of the drum 19, and preferably secured to the housing3, is a grate 21, which is of the same longitudinal dimension as thedrum 19, and which is formed to follow the contour of the drum 19 to apoint beneath the drum and adjacent the terminus of the guard 20. Thesurface of the grate facing the drum is divided into alternate series ofbrushes 23 and perforations 22.

A suitable clutch, as 24, may be provided to bring the driving pulley 6into driving relation with the driven pulley 9. A suitable propellingmeans, as the handle 25, may be provided and a clutch control 26 may bemounted thereon and connected to the clutch 24 to permit manualoperation.

In operation, as the device is propelled over the surface of a lawn orin an area where leaves are on the ground, the drum 14 will be rotatedat a relative high speed, and the brushes 16 will pick up the leaves andthrow them into the housing. A suitable adjustable guard 27 may bemounted on the forward end of the housing 3 to assure the movement ofthe leaves so picked upwardly into the housing The speed of rotation ofthe drum 14 and the extended brushes 16, will create a current of airtowards the rear of the device, which will aid in carrying the leavesrearwardly on the table 17 and into the path of the rotating pulverizingdrum 19. The leaves will be urged downwardly between the wire brushes ofthe drum 19 and the wire brushes 23 of the grate 21 and will be brokenand pulverized, and the material thereof sifted through the ports 22back onto the lawn. Twigs and sticks and other foreign matter that maypass through the area between the pulverizing drum and the grate willdrop out of the housing through the area between the terminus of theguard 20 and the end of the grate 21.

While the foregoing is considered a preferred form of the invention, itis by way of illustration only, the broad principle of the inventionbeing defined by the appended claim.

What we claim is:

In a leaf disposal device, a wheeled framework, a housing mounted onsaid framework, a source of power mounted on said housing having adriving pulley, a rotating drum mounted in said housing having a drivenpulley, a belt connecting said driving and driven pulleys and means formoving said belt into and out of driving relation, a plurality ofoutwardly extending brushes longitudinally mounted on said drum, arearwardly and downwardly extending table mounted in said. housing,having its uppermost end immediately adjacent the extended ends of saidbrushes, a pulverizing drum mounted in said housing adjacent theopposing end of said table, said pulverizing drum having outwardlyextended peripheral brushes, a grate mounted on said housing adjacentsaid pulverizing drum shaped to conform to the contour of said drum andterminating beneath said drum, said grate having a plurality of orificestherethrough and a plurality of inwardly extended brushes adapted tocooperate with the peripheral brushes on said pulverizing drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,987,371 Rudd Jan. 8, 1935 2,242,922 Poynter May 20, 1941 2,564,352Bjonklund Aug. 14, 1951 2,631,418 Ronning Mar. 17, 1953

